US fighter jets to get fricken lasers

Sci-fi fantasies are coming true. Scarily true. By next year US fighter jets will be equipped with lasers, the military has announced. Source: Supplied

Bogey on your six? DARPA can help with that.

In what one can only assume is the first step towards developing a fully functional fleet of Star Destroyers, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has recently announced that it is looking to test fighter jets equipped with laser turrets as early as 2014. Lockheed Martin won the $9.5 million contract from DARPA and is currently working on phase three of the Aero-Adaptive/Aero-Optic Beam Control project, which would allow tactical aircraft to fire mounted lasers, through extreme turbulence, at enemies coming from behind.

As seen in picture above, DARPA is also developing the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS), a smaller, lighter, infinitely more terrifying iteration of the agency’s earlier laser cannon outing, the Airborne Laser Testbed, which was so cumbersome it could not be mounted on anything smaller than a Boeing 747. HELLADS’s strength lies in it versatility: the system can be utilized for both air and ground combat situations. According to DARPA:

With a weight goal of less than five kilograms per kilowatt, and volume of three cubic meters for the laser system, HELLADS seeks to enable high-energy lasers to be integrated onto tactical aircraft, significantly increasing engagement ranges compared to ground-based systems.

So if you've been struggling to find the perfect gift for the Rebel princess who has everything this Valentine's Day, HELLADS would be a lovely addition to Hoth's Echo Base, in the eventuality of an Imperial invasion. Oh, wait.

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